In
Western Christian liturgical architecture, an
altar rail is a
horizontal railing at which
communicants kneel to recieve the
Eucharist or
Holy Communion. It can be made of many different substances;
wood,
metal, and
marble are most frequently used. Altar rails resemble
kneelers in that they frequently have
knee pads to kneel upon, or at least a
ledge to place the knees against. In the
Roman Catholic tradition, communicants recieve the Eucharist on the tongue.
Protestant traditions frequently allow the parishoner to recieve the Eucharist in his/her hands while kneeling at the rail.
What may not be obvious in a cursory description of the altar rail is the
ideological and
historical importance of the structure even to our present day. Not all Christian groups use it; those who do may not agree on the significance of this barrier which is the notable division between the
altar and the
congregation.
The reorganization of Christianity under the
Roman emperor Constantine, as followed through notably by
Justinian, greatly solidified Christian
doctrine and
liturgy. The earliest examples of
Byzantine liturgical architecture did not sport the large
icon screens (
iconostasis) as found in
medieval and
modern Byzantine churches. Rather, they contained small railings similar to an altar rail. Early Byzantine liturgy may not have used these railings for reception of the Eucharist, however. Only after
iconoclasm did the iconostas
mushroom, perhaps to reinforce the value of
images in
worship. To the modern day Byzantine liturgy calls for communicants to stand to recieve Communion served from a
chalice on an
altar spoon, a richly decorated precious spoon that ladles the Body and Blood into the mouth of the congregant. Altar rails are not present in modern Byzantine churches.
Roman Catholicism did not adopt
iconography in most cases, opting rather for
fresco,
painting, and
statuary in
veneration. Little or no partition separated the altar from the people.
Rood screens did exist in some areas, but these wooden partitions were
translucent and many rood screens did not cover the entire view of the sanctuary. Rather, the custom of kneeling at a rail became prevalent by the
Tridentine period (late 16th century to 1962). The rail may have been seen by many Roman Catholics in the same way as the iconostas is seen by Byzantine Christians -- as the
barrier past which only the
ordained may pass. Altar rails frequently have
doors in the center of the rail, which are closed except for when
altar servers,
deacons, or
priests need to go into the congregation. These doors may be considered
analogous to the
Royal Doors of the iconostas, except that the Byzantine liturgy places more importance on the movement of
ministers through the iconostas than Roman Catholicism places on the use of the altar rail doors.
With the reforms of
Vatican II, there have been many changes with in Roman Catholicism that have also been reflected in liturgical Protestant
movements, like the
Anglican and
Lutheran churches. One of them is an abandonment of the altar rail for the Byzantine style of reception while
standing. Rails also may be seen by some as separating the congregation from the action at the altar.
Conservatives in both Catholicism and some Protestant groups have expressed desires to reintroduce the altar rail, either for reasons of
piety or as a
political symbol in a
backlash against
liberalism. In many cases, the altar rail is one of the battle flags that conservative
worshippers in their fight to
swim upstream.